The present invention relates to an IC card provided with a radio portion which makes it possible to communicate with an infrastructure and also to a communication system using such an IC, card. Particularly, the present invention relates to an IC card which makes it possible to communicate with a plurality of infrastructures (such as Infrastructure 1: PHS (Personal Handyphone System); and Infrastructure 2: PDC (Personal Digital Cellular) network) and to a communication system using such an IC card.
This IC card is formed of a conventional card into which an LSI chip is sealed and is constructed in various ways. For example, in the case of an IC card of radio modem, an IC card unit and one infrastructure-coordinating portion coordinating to one infrastructure-network are disposed so as to constitute a pair of components at the inside and outside of the card, respectively, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication H2-268390.
According to the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication H7-234922, a plurality of connectable infrastructure-coordinating portions are accommodated in a single modem body, thereby enabling an IC card unit to communicate with an optionally selected infrastructure-network.
However, according to these conventional radio-integrated cards, an interface component which is capable of connecting with an external apparatus for achieving the communication with a further different infrastructure is accommodated in the card. Namely, these conventional radio-integrated cards are not provided with means for performing automatic switching on the basis of information of infrastructure. Therefore, if it is desired to communicate with a different infrastructure, such a conventional card is required to be replaced by a different card which is capable of utilizing the aforementioned external apparatus, and then the call set-up (for example, a set-up for dial-up connection on Windows) from a personal computer (which may be referred to simply as PC) is required to be manually switched for the purpose of the communication.
Namely, since these conventional IC cards are not provided with an interface component which is capable of connecting with an external apparatus for achieving the communication with a further different infrastructure, these IC cards are incapable of executing a communication in a situation where it is impossible to detect information from an infrastructure with which the IC card can be directly communicated, e.g. a region where the condition for radiocommunication is bad. Therefore, if it is desired to communicate with a different infrastructure, such a conventional card is required to be replaced by a different IC card which is capable of utilizing the aforementioned external apparatus. Furthermore, it is also required for a user to prepare in advance a number of IC cards each coordinating to each infrastructure, and to manually perform the switching of information which is peculiar to the infrastructure such as call set-up on a PC. Namely, these conventional IC cards are accompanied with a problem that the handling thereof is troublesome.
The present invention has been made in view of overcoming the aforementioned problem. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an IC card which is capable of -being connected with a different infrastructure, capable of automatically selecting an infrastructure without necessitating for a user to alter the information from the infrastructure of PC, and capable of executing a smooth data communication without necessitating the exchange of IC card whenever a communication with a different infrastructure is to be executed or without necessitating the switching of the information of infrastructure from the PC.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a communication system using such an IC card.
The IC card according to the present invention is featured in that it comprises radiocommunication means for performing a radiocommunication with a first infrastructure;
an interface adapted to be connected with an external communication apparatus for performing a radiocommunication with a second infrastructure which differs from said first infrastructure; memory means for storing data distinguishing said first infrastructure from said second infrastructure; and controlling means which is designed to select, in accordance with a command from a data processor, an infrastructure on the basis of the data on the infrastructures stored in said memory means and to perform a controlling in the execution of data communication between said data processor and an infrastructure which has been selected; and that said card is enabled to be connected with the external communication apparatus through said interface, and a communication of said card with said second infrastructure is enabled by making use of said external communication apparatus.
The aforementioned controlling means is constructed such that the memory means is enabled to store, as a data of the infrastructure, the data of the field strength to be periodically transmitted from each infrastructure, and based on this data of the infrastructure, the controlling means functions to control the radiocommunication means and the interface to be connected with an external communication apparatus, thereby enabling the IC card to be communicated not only with the first infrastructure by making use of the aforementioned radiocommunication means disposed inside the IC card, and but also with the second infrastructure by making use of an external communication apparatus and by way of the interface to be connected with the external communication apparatus.
The aforementioned controlling means is constructed also such that, when the data of infrastructure is not available from an infrastructure even if the transmission of data on the infrastructure is requested by the data processor, the communication is switched to another infrastructure. Namely, even if the request for transmission by the data processor is directed to the infrastructure from which no data can be obtained, the communication with infrastructure is automatically switched to another infrastructure which can be communicated with, thereby making it possible to perform the transmission.
Further, the aforementioned controlling means is also constructed such that, when a user has designated a communication with an infrastructure which is incapable of performing the communication, the communication is automatically switched to another infrastructure which can be communicated with, thereby making it possible to perform the transmission.
Further, the aforementioned controlling means is also constructed such that, when the connection between the interface to be connected with an external communication apparatus and the external communication apparatus is recognized from the data from the second infrastructure, the communication is automatically switched to a controlling system wherein the communication is to be executed using the aforementioned external communication apparatus, thereby making it possible to perform the transmission meeting the intention of a user.
Furthermore, the aforementioned controlling means is also constructed such that, once the communication has been switched to a controlling system wherein the communication is to be executed using the aforementioned external communication apparatus, the transmission to the second infrastructure is automatically executed even if a user has requested a communication with the first infrastructure, thereby making it possible to perform the transmission meeting the intention of a user without troubling the user to perform a troublesome operation.
The communication system using the IC card of the present invention comprises an IC card provided with radiocommunication means for performing a radiocommunication with a first infrastructure; a data processor provided with an interface adapted to be connected with the IC card, thereby enabling the data processor to input a command of initiating the data communication as well as a command related to a designation of infrastructure to be employed to the IC card connected with the interface; and an external communication apparatus which is adapted to be connected with the IC card, thus enabling it to be communicated with a second infrastructure differing from the first infrastructure; wherein the IC card is selected from those claimed in claims.